With Musikfest in the rear view mirror and the Allentown Fair wrapping up Monday, you can take a trip to the opposite side of the state to keep the festival juices flowing.

Tall Ships Erie is a four-day event featuring nine tall ships, available for touring. It starts Thursday on Erie's bayfront, and you don't have to be a maritime enthusiast or wannabe pirate to enjoy it.

"We're hoping to attract a diverse crowd, including a lot of out-of-towners and visitors of all ages," says Shawn Waskiewicz, executive director of event organizer Flagship Niagara League. "In 2010, it was geared more toward ship lovers and history buffs. This year, we've made changes that will make the festival more enjoyable for everyone."

There will be live music, a beer garden, more than 75 vendors, children's activities and a lecture series.

Tall ships are sailing vessels with at least one tall mast. The first Tall Ships Erie festival, which took place three years ago, pulled in about 32,000 visitors, $220,000 in profit for the Flagship Niagara League and $3.6 million in revenue for the city of Erie. This year, all of those figures are expected to nearly double.

The festival showcases Erie's homeport tall ship and the state's official flagship, the U.S. Brig Niagara, also known as Flagship Niagara. It also marks the 200th anniversary of Commodore Perry's victory over the British at the Battle of Lake Erie. A pivotal event in the War of 1812, the battle (featuring the original Niagara) led to regaining Detroit and lifted the nation's morale.

A Parade of Sail featuring the festival's nine ships sailing into Presque Isle Bay will kick off the festival at 4 p.m. Thursday. The vessels will travel down to Erie Yacht Club, turn around and sail back up the bay before docking at Erie Maritime Museum, Dobbins Landing and the Bayfront Convention Center (all within a 15-minute walk of each other). A fireworks display will continue the opening merriment at 9:30 p.m.

"It's like a train of ships," says Waskiewicz, a resident of Erie. "People will be lined up for miles along the coast line at places like Presque Isle State Park and Liberty Park to see the vessels. It should last about two hours, but that time isn't exact, as the wind plays a factor."

Gov. Tom Corbett is be the parade's grand marshall, riding aboard Niagara, which will lead the procession.

The Parade of Sail is free. Tours of the ships and other festivities occurring Friday to Sept. 8 require an admission fee $8 on Friday and $14 on Sept. 7 and 8 (free, 3 and under). A weekend pass is available for $22.

The flotilla will include Niagara and other returning ships, Pride of Baltimore II, which is a memorial to the original that sank in a storm off Puerto Rico in 1986, taking her captain and three crew members; Unicorn, which features an all-female crew, of Bridgeport, Conn.; and Lynx, an interpretation of an original 1812 privateer schooner of the same name.

One tall ship not returning to Tall Ships Erie is the HMS Bounty, which sank off Cape Hatteras during Hurricane Sandy last October. Two of 16 crew members perished, including the vessel's captain. The ship was featured in movies such as "Mutiny on the Bounty" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest."

Newcomers to the festival include Appledore IV, a schooner owned by BaySail, a nonprofit group offering shipboard educational experiences; Peacemaker, a Georgia-based ship built in southern Brazil using tropical hardwoods; St. Lawrence II, a training vessel in operation since 1957; Friends Good Will, a replica of a merchant sloop that was recaptured by Commodore Perry during the Battle of Lake Erie; and Sorlandet, the oldest of three Norwegian tall ships.

Waskiewicz is quick to admit he is most excited to see Sorlandet, the oldest full rigged ship in the world still in operation.

"It's coming from Norway, and it's the first time it's sailed the Great Lakes since Chicago's World Fair in 1933," he says. "It's pristine white and just a really cool vessel. I'm fairly confident it will be the most popular ship in attendance."

For those looking for more than just ship tours, Bayfront Convention Center will house a video and lecture series; a kid zone; more than 75 vendors selling everything from jewelry and clothing to wine and beach glass; and a Labatt Blue Beer Garden with musical acts such as Good for Nuthin String Band and Captain Tom Kastle, a maritime folk musician.

Also, limited day-sails in Presque Isle Bay are available aboard the Appledore IV and Friends Good Will for those preferring to tour a tall ship in motion. Pricing and times are available online at http://www.flagshipniagara.org.